the.com/tickle
the only sensation that makes you laugh while begging it to stop
means To touch a sensitive part of someone's body lightly so as to cause a twitching, laughing, often squirming sensation — or, figuratively, to gently amuse or please.
from From Old English 'tinclian' or 'ticelian,' to tickle, of uncertain deeper root — possibly imitative, the word itself a little wriggle of sound. It may also be a frequentative or playful reshaping of 'tick,' the light repeated touch. Either way it's an old, homely English word, and the figurative 'tickle your fancy' has been around for centuries, the touch moving inward from skin to mood.
- self-proof
- you can't tickle yourself; the brain predicts it away
- two types
- light knismesis itches, rough gargalesis makes you laugh
- old torture
- used as punishment in ancient Rome and China
- rat giggles
- rats laugh ultrasonically when tickled by humans
- not joy
- laughter here is reflex, not actual amusement
tickle trunk — beloved canadian children's tv prop from mr. dressup, a decorated trunk filled with costumes that aired 1967-1996
tickle me elmo — furry toy that giggles when tickled, caused shopping riots during the 1996 holiday season